Latest from the Council Chamber – Council Matters

THE chair of Council Matters, Sheila Gore, welcomed everyone to the latest Council Matters meeting and began by giving a brief update on some of the queries raised in the last minutes.

This included confirmation that Mendip District Council (MDC) will be reinstating the dog bin in Trinity.  The consultation on the potential floodlighting at the Mary Baily tennis courts is set to start on 30th June, with an event at the tennis club. Frome Town Council (FTC) is looking into adding gates to the gaps in hedging around the play area on the Old Showfield.

During questions and comments from the public, MDC cllr, John Clarke, wanted to make sure everyone was aware that there is now lots of information available on MDC’s website about the Saxonvale development planning application. It is such a significant planning matter that FTC are holding a public meeting at The Assembly Rooms on 13th June from 6.30 – 8.30pm, where local residents can hear from the developers and other stakeholders, ask questions and give your views on the application. 

Environment manager, Chris Stringer, then gave an overview of what’s been happening in the town’s parks and green spaces, from day-to-day care such as cutting grass and feeding plants, to tree planting and a new look for the corner of Victoria Park. He also covered what local residents can expect to see in the future, which included Wild about Frome, play area improvements at Packsaddle and Tower View, as well as the final set of steps at Millennium Green. 

Councillors then reviewed the open space management and improvement plans for Rodden Meadow and Millennium Green. Chris started with what has been achieved over the last two years; a cared-for meadow, new benches and bins, tree works and tree surveys, Mayhem in the Meadow events and the ancient sycamore being retained. 

He described ideas to create a more diverse wildflower meadow, as well as a natural play space, provide more places to sit down and enjoy the views, a new willow sculpture and working on a more inclusive route at Millennium Green. The plans were approved and adopted.

There was a discussion around ensuring that FTC’s funds are invested ethically in line with our recent climate change emergency declaration and balancing this with a duty of care to the town’s funds. A review of some recommended amendments to the Council’s Financial Regulations were also agreed. 

This was followed by a presentation from marketing and communications manager, Rachel Griffin, on what the team had been up to recently which included delivering projects such as the People’s Budget and supporting the delivery of high quality communications and events. She explained that the aim is to always be open, accessible and informative through all communication channels. Some headline figures were: 222 press releases written and 85 posters and leaflets created in the last 12 months.

An update on Frome Town Hall and future plans showed that the Town Hall continues to be home to a number of tenants: Fair Frome, Frome FM, Active & in Touch, Frome Learning Partnership and WHY. It is well used to host interesting and varied events, with 172 taking place over the last 6 months. 

The next meeting of Town Matters is on 19th June. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep updated on everything we’re up to.